The NAFF Fantastic Film School is a genre film production education and networking program for emerging filmmakers from around the world. Renowned international experts from all fields of the film industry are invited as mentors to create a curriculum that proves practical in the reality of film production. Based on this principle NAFF Fantastic Film School has trained 342 filmmakers for for the last 15 years.
The systematic curriculum consists of lectures and team workshops given by renown industry experts that leads to an open pitching session and mentoring session. The participants from around the world will be trained to be able to bring the genre film industry to the next level. Through lectures by the NAFF Fantastic Film School, the students will explore the essentials of film production, from scenario writing, the production process, independent film production, business strategy at genre-oriented film festivals and project markets, understanding audience appeal through cultural concretization, differences in development and production of various kinds of content, digital human, and other topics that are currently trending in the industry. Additionally, the participants will have the opportunity to improve their own projects in group workshops and finally pitch their projects at an open pitching session where they receive immediate mentoring. This curriculum aims to promote networking within the genre film industry, and to form a virtuous cycle to find opportunities for international cooperation between mentors and mentees and among mentees and mentors themselves.
This year, of the NAFF Fantastic Film School has appointed Barry Sabath, senior lecturer at the American Film Institute (AFI), as the dean. Barry Sabath is a well-known film producer, film executive, film professor and film historian. He oversaw many productions at Hollywood's leading studios like No Way Out (1987), My Cousin Vinny (1992), Ghost in the Machine (1993), PCU (1994) and Flatliners (1990) to name the most representative ones. In addition, Annick Mahnert, director of Frontières Coproduction Market, Chris Lee, founder and director of the University of Hawaii¡¯s Academy for Creative, Jeong Youngbum, CEO of BEAM Studio, film director Shin Suwon, Todd Brown, head of International Acquisitions at XYZ Films and Yee Wei Chai, founder of Mocha Chai Laboratories will be mentors.
The NAFF Fantastic Film School focuses on creating a sustainable environment to discover and foster up-and-coming filmmakers, while understanding the rapidly changing film industry. The mentors, respected international experts, and the mentees, emerging filmmakers dreaming of becoming the next generation, are exchanging know-how and insights bases on experience, and stimulation full of fresh ideas and thus creating a synergy effect.
Last year, the NAFF Fantastic Film School overcame the pandemic and resumed offline programs, while still utilizing the online environment based on the past experience. Thus, all programs will be held in a hybrid off- and online format this year. The NAFF Fantastic Film School has achieved growth beyond overcoming the pandemic in 2023, and will further develop by solidifying its position as Asia's best genre film education program.